Gearbox Will Re-Release Homeworld 1 and 2 in High Def

The Plano-based game developer behind Borderlands 2 and Aliens: Colonial Marines announced that they will release a high-definition refit of the classic space strategy games Homeworld 1 and 2.

Gearbox Software CEO Randy Pitchford and CCO Brian Martel announced their plans at Penny Arcade Expo Australia last weekend. The company bought the franchise's intellectual property from bankrupt publisher THQ for $1.35 million back in April. The new announcement is good news for a cult classic in PC gaming.

You see, kids, Homeworld was a series of strategy games with rich ship designs and colorful cosmic backgrounds. The games shared a few themes with the remake of the show Battlestar Galactica; a fleet searching for their ancestral home after their latest one was destroyed, a woman controlling a spacecraft with her mind, and an ambient soundtrack with worldly percussion -- all this without the hang-ups of Galactica's later seasons. The soundtrack even included the song "Homeworld" by prog rock band Yes (a big win over Galactica's janky cover of "All Along the Watchtower").

The small community around the series also created modifications featuring ships from every sci-fi franchise with spacecraft in them. Ever wanted to command the Imperial Fleet from Star Wars? There's a mod for that.

Gearbox has not announced a release date yet for the remake or a planned legacy release over digital services.